Countdown begins in Permatang Pauh

Countdown begins in Permatang Pauh Commentary by Regina William 25-08-2008 The Edge A visually-challenged man was seated in his usual place between the hawker centre and wet market in Seberang Jaya, playing a portable organ and singing under the already scorching morning sun, oblivious to what was going on around him. He had two very important people stopping by to talk to him, while he kept entertaining the weekend market crowd. Two “prime ministers-in-waiting”, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is contesting the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat, had come a-calling. Thanks to their generous contributions to his kitty, he made more than he would have singing his heart out every day for at least three weeks. The presence of both Najib and Anwar literally brought the traffic around Jalan Tenggiri to a standstill and policemen were kept busy getting it flowing again. Anwar had been scheduled to arrive at the market at 8am to take advantage of the weekend to greet shoppers, but it was Najib who beat him to it, arriving shortly after 8.30am. Najib spent about half an hour at the food centre and wet market. PKR supporters who were at the market distributing leaflets, played audio recordings of Anwar’s speeches while Najib was making his rounds. At one point, a PKR supporter shouted “Hidup Altantuya” while his fellow PKR campaign workers chuckled just as Najib walked out after meeting voters having their breakfast. The hopes of journalists, who were smacking their lips in anticipation of the “supremos” bumping into one another at the centre were dashed when Najib left, just as Anwar arrived at the hawker centre located about 100 metres away. As he was getting into his car, Najib was seen looking in the direction where Anwar had alighted. It is obvious to all and sundry that the battle for Permatang Pauh is not about the Barisan Nasional (BN) or PKR or even about the BN candidate Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah who seems to be completely out of the picture. The fight is about these two men, who have made it their battle to outdo each other as much is at stake for them. One is the anointed one, waiting in the wings to take over the prime ministership in 2010 from Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, while the other has great ambition to be the prime minister by Sept 16. For Najib, who is heading the BN onslaught to wrest the seat, it has been a tough campaign. Having been associated with the sodomy accusations against Anwar, Najib was kept busy explaining that he had nothing to do with the allegations by former Anwar aide, 23-year-old Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan. Rumours linking him to the murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shariibuu also made their rounds at PKR ceramahs, with references often made about his part in her being “blown” to bits. In what can only be described as an attempt to clear his name, on Friday night, Najib swore, at a mosque in Permatang Pauh, that he did not know Altantuya. For Anwar, meanwhile, Saiful’s act of swearing on the Quran at the Federal Territory mosque on the eve of nomination, saying Anwar had sodomised him was enough to wreak havoc on his plans to win the Permatang Pauh seat, hands down. Ever since then, he has been inundated by calls from BN leaders, including Najib, to swear on the Quran to prove his innocence, something which Anwar has vehemently refused to do. With the Malays forming 69% of the population and with swearing on the Quran seen as something sacred, he has been trying to put forth the views of religious scholars whom he says have advised him against doing so. Anwar scored some points among voters when over the weekend at a ceramah attended by thousands, PAS president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang pledged support for Anwar to become the prime minister, while PAS spiritual leader Dauk Dr Haron Din explained at length why Anwar need not swear on the Quran. Going to great pains, Haron quoted incidences in the days of the Prophet Muhammad. The explanation, which kept the crowd rooted despite a drizzle, is evident how much of a factor the sodomy and swearing-on-the-Quran issues were in the by-election. The PAS leaders refuted the need for Anwar to swear on the Quran to justify himself in the eyes of the Muslim community as it contravened what is stated in the Quran. Whether that would have cleared the doubts in the minds of some voters, especially the older generation, will only be known via the ballot box. As the final hours descend upon the 58,459 voters of Permatang Pauh with the nation watching, it is anyone’s guess what must be going through their minds. If any word can describe the events of the past 10 days in a nutshell, it would be “incredulous”. For journalists covering the happenings right from day one, from the “tumultuous” nomination day until today, the eve of what has been dubbed “the mother of all by-elections”, it has been an exhilarating ride. For one, the by-election would certainly live up to its dubbing as the most “dirty” by-election in recent years. ...source